Is The Honeymoon Over?

This Letter to The Sun struck my mind because I faced a somewhat similar incident. If the Government goons who were so active reading the grassroots' reaction before the elections but somehow misread the signs, these indicators should be an opportunity for you to make amends if you could take advantage of it.

Letters
letters@thesundaily.com

Mosque project halted for
no reason

IN THE euphoria of celebrating 100 days of the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled Selangor government, a section of the population has been forgotten. This is especially so in the construction of a new mosque in Taman Melawati.After waiting for nearly 30 years with several changes of people’s representatives from opposing parties, residents saw a glimmer of hope when a ground-breaking ceremony was held just before the last general election.

The residents thought that they would perhaps enjoy holding the Aidilfitri or Aidiladha prayers in a new mosque before the end of the year. With the area cleared, a zinc wall plus a signboard in place, residents thought that the promised mosque would soon be up. This is was due to the hard work put in by residents who were mostly retirees from either the government or private sectors with no political affiliations. They had only one aim – to see a new mosque within their lifetime near their surroundings.

All of a sudden, the Pakatan government reviewed the project. Thus, work has stopped. Residents are asking why such a thing has occurred, when no politics were involved from the start. The Selangor government may be exercising its right to put things in order with regard to questionable acts of the previous government. However, the residents seem to have a different view. This was clear during the thanksgiving prayers held after Friday prayers in the temporary mosque on June 20 to mark the state government’s 100 days in power. Of the more that 400 who attended Friday prayers, hardly 40 answered the call. The rest walked out without carrying out any voluntary prayers seen on normal Fridays. Is this not enough warning to those in power?

Noor Ikhsan Raffii
Kuala Lumpur

The thing is, I was doing my Friday prayers at THE State Mosque at Shah Alam whose administration is now clearly under the new government control with all the flags flying in the prayer hall. The Imam also made a call for the thanksgiving prayers and I thought that at the end of the Friday prayers I would be one of the few who would be leaving the prayer hall. Well I am not one of the state's citizens who put this government into power so why should I offer my thanksgivings, especially since I do not support them. Imagine my surprise that I was not joined not only by a few but easily more than half the congregation in leaving the prayer halls. So could it be that the parishioners has now realised the realities of what they have done a hundred days after the elections. This should be good news to the beleaguered Federal Government, if only they know how to take advantage of it.